Shoe stretcher



Nov. 13, 1951 H, STROM 2,574,940

' SHOE STRETCHER Filed Feb. 2, 1950- 2 SHEETS- SHEET 1 @fg/yi INVENTQR.

H. STROM SHOE STRETCHER Nov. 13, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Feb. 2,

IN1/EN TOR.

Hang giraf/2,

BY QM/fh.

Patented Nov. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ISHOE STRETCHER.

Halls Strom, Villa Park,l Application February 2, 1950, vSerial No. 142,039

6 Claims.

.This invention ,relates to shoe ,stretchers and particularly .to .apparatus for stretching shoes both .transversely and longitudinally thereof.

Prior to .this invention, shoestretchers for perform-ing :lengthwise stretching operations have employed devices which engage both the `toe and heel 4:portionsof theshoe. These prior structures, therefore, have been objectionable, since `the pressure in such .cases :exerted at the heel portion ,of ,a shoe :tends to `distort the shoe 4counter ,and :theref by destroys the intended t and neat appearance of -theshoe in `the region of the `heel and `ankle of the wearer.

it is a principal obiect of-.the present invention to provide a shoe stretching device in which the heel orcounter portion ofthe shoe is relieved entirely from all pressure exerted during lengths wise stretching of the shoe.

Another object is to provide a simplied and inexpensive structure vfor Vperforming the above operations which can ,be readily adjusted to perform `,said stretching operations on ,shoes of various sizes and styles.

Theinvention preferably employs a spreading forni, for v,each shoe to Vbe stretched, which forin substantially `fills the forward part of the shoe and fis of lesser Ilength than the shoe, so that when thel form Ais in position within the shoe it does not contact the counter portion thereof. This spreading -form may advantageously be ra conventional :type now commonly employed for spreading or stretching a shoe transversely.

A preferred form of apparatus is shown inthe accompanying drawings as being constructed to accommodate two shoes, but obviously it may be constructed to vaccommodate one shoe or any number of shoes desired. It Aincludes a base prtion on which one or Amore shoes may Abe ,supported and an adjustablegfran'ie structure `secured to the base. The said frame structure includes a yoke provided with a pair of downwardly extending arms which are pivotally connected to the forward portion :of :the base and a pair of toothed levers pivoted .to Athe rear portion of `the base and adjustably interlocked with portions of theyoke. The said yoke'and the toothed levers areibiased into interlocking engagement by means of `tension springs connected tothe arms of the yoke at a location below 'its pivotal axis and to the lower portions of the toothed levers at locations above their pivotal axes.

The shoes to be -stretched are positioned on said base with their toe yportions engaged with toe stops adjustably secured to the base, the adjnstability-of the stops being such as will accommodagte shoes of variouslengths. Depending into .eaehshoe from the rear portion of the yoke is a pivoted bar, the lower end of which is bifurcated t0 `.etnie race a ,screw element associated with each spreading last and which engages against the rear end of said last. The pivoted bars, -in addition to being pivotally supported at their upper ends, are each provided with ,arearmardi-y extending .arm for engaging the lower endet ,a power .applying screw. The -nOwer an# plying screws, of the present-invention, have threaded engagement with portions of the pvoted yoke so ,that the lower ends of the screws will engage the louter end portion of the outwardly extending Aarrn of said pivotal bar,whereby;rota tion of the ppwer screw in one direction will swing the pivotal bar in a direction to apply pressure t0 .the Arear `end of the spreading last and thereby force it into the -toe of its associated shQe -to effect :the `desired lengthwise stretching of the shoe. Thus there is no pressure on the counter' rwhich might damage it. `Each shoe is held `against movement during the application O :f the pressure by engagement of the end 0f its sole nagainst a toe stop. Because the stretching forni snugly fills the Yforward part of the shoe, the Inaterialof the shoe must b e actually stretched lengthwise, and the width of the shoe cannot bedecreased but bythe use of'a transverse shoe stretcher as the stretching form, both longitudinal and transverse stretching operations may be accomplished simultaneously.

Thesaid tension spring tends to move vrthe pivoted yoke upwardly and, at the same time, bias the ratchet levers into interlocking engagement A with a portion of the yoke whereby the yoke Kand ratchet tooth levers may be quickly and sonyeniently adjusted to accommodate shoes of varying heights incident to the varying Aheights of ,the h eel portion. Also, the adjustable elements .of the frame may :be Quickly -moved -into andiout of their .operating positions. @ther and further objects, advantages and features ,0f the presentfinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art `from the following description, together .with `the accompanying drawings, in Which:

Fig. l is a side elevation View of ,one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 lis a plan Aview of the device of Fig. l.;

Fig. 3 isa rear end view of the device as shown in Fis. 2;

Fig. A: :is a side elevation of one-.half `of one expansible form employed in the illustrated embodlment of the invention; and

Fig. is a perspective View of the expandable form.

Referring to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of my invention comprises a base portion I9 which may be conveniently formed of any pressed metal, the upper face II of the base being inclined upwardly toward the forward end of the base and provided with a series of pairs of openings I2 adapted to receive spaced apart downwardly projecting studs formed on the under-surface of each toe stop. Each toe stop I4 is also provided with an upwardly extending arcuate ange I5 which provides an abutment for the end portion of the shoe sole. The curvature of the said iiange I5 may be varied to suit the curvature of any type of shoe and since the abutting engagement is between 'the shoe sole and the flange I5 the abutment will accommodate open toed shoes.

A pivoted yoke arm I6 formed preferably, though not necessarily, of pressed metal, is pivoted at one end to the forward portion of the base I0, preferably the downwardly extending arms of the said yoke I6 are pressed into the form of channels, the inner ange I1 of the channel extending into a slot I8 of the base and the outer flange I9 of the channel overlapping the side face of the base. A pivot bolt extends through spaced flanges I'I- and I9 of the yoke arm and a portion of the base to pivotally support the yoke in its applied position on the base. The other arm of the yoke is similarly pivoted to the base, several parts of the yoke arm being identified by like numerals having the exponent primed. A pair of toothed levers 2I-2I are pivotally mounted at the lower ends on a rod 22 which is secured in openings formed in the side faces ofthe base near the rear end thereof. The upper ends of the toothed levers 2I-2I' extend through openings 23-23 formed in the top web 24 ofY the yoke I6. The said yoke I3 and the toothed levers 2 I-2I' are biased into interlocking engagement by means of a pair of tension springs 25-25' engaged with angularly extending arm portions 26-26 formed at the lower end of the yoke and to a portion o f each toothed lever 2I so that the resilience of the springs 25 will tend to rock the yoke arm I6 upwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow A in Fig. 1 of the drawings and also tend to rock the toothed levers 2| in the direction indicated by the arrow B, whereby the yoke I6 and pivoted toothed levers 2l may be quickly and conveniently adjusted into any desired position to accommodate a shoe having heel 21 of a selected height. It will be observed, in this connection, that when the toothed levers 2 I-2 I are swung rearwardly in a clockwise direction the pivoted yoke I6 is released from its engagement with one of the teeth 28 of the toothed levers. It will also be observed, that the several teeth 28 of the levers 2I-2I are biased into engagement with the web 24 of the yoke I5, whereby the yoke I6 may be readily moved downwardly to any desired adjusted position during which movement the web 24 of the yoke will ratchet over the several teeth 28 of the toothed levers.

Depending from the rear portion of the pivoted yoke I5 is a pivoted pressure bar 29, there being one such bar for each shoe. The upper end of each bar 29 is pivotally supported between a pair of flanges 30-3I. The lower end of each bar is provided with a bifurcated portion 32 formed to bear against the rear face 33 of a spreading last 34. The said portion 32 is bifurcated so as to embrace the shank portion of screw 35 utilized to apply spreading pressure to the stretching form 34. Each pivoted bar is also provided with a rearwardly extending arm portion 36 formed at its outer end with a depressed socket 31 adapted to receive the rounded end portion 38 of a power applying screw 39. The said power applying screw 39 is threaded through a suitable boss 40 formed on the yoke arm I 6 and is provided at its upper end with a suitable hand wheel 4I for operating the screw.

The expanding last or form 34 is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawing. One of these lasts is provided for each shoe. The form of expanding last herein shown is of less length than that of the shoe and is adapted to engage snugly in the forward portion of a shoe with the rear end spaced away from the counter portion 42 of the shoe. The form 34, as herein illustrated, preferably comprises a pair of blocks 43 connected at the rear ends by a hinge 44a. The blocks together conform generally to the shape of a forward part of the shoe to be stretched, but are somewhat narrower'than the shoe for convenience in insertion. The adjacent faces of the blocks 43-43 are formed with cam grooves or recesses 44 which converge forwardly and in which a wedge member 45 is disposed. Forward movement of the wedge members causes the blocks to spread apart as will be evident from Fig. 5 and thus apply transverse stretching force to the shoe. The wedge 45 is actuated by the said screw 35, the latter of which extends through the blocks 43-43 into the space provided by recesses 44. The screw is swiveled in the form by a cylindrical or spherical nut 46 having a threaded diametrical bore therethrough and trunnions 4'I extending into transverse apertures 48 in the blocks 43-43. Any suitable hand grip 49 is provided on the outer end of the screw 35. Rotation of the screw in one or the other direction will project or retract the wedge 45 to expand the form, as already explained, or permit its collapse. 'I'he bifurcated bar 29 provides for engagement with the rear face 33 of the expanding form without interference by the screw 35.

The use of a transverse stretching last or form 34, such as shown and described, in combination with the adjustable frame elements I6 and 2| presents distinct advantages in that the same device may be used on shoes of various widths and the adjustable elements I8 and 2I may be interlocked in different positions to accommodate shoes of different style in which the spreading form will'be necessarily inserted at different angles from that shown in Fig. l of the drawings. I From the above disclosure it will be observed that when the spreading form is positioned in a shoe with the forward end of the shoe sole engaged with a toe abutment I4 and with the f pivoted yoke I6 and the toothed levers 2| ad- When it is desired to remove a shoe from4 of the arm 3B of the pivoted bar 29 and the pivoted levers 2|. The pivoted levers 2l are merely swung rearwardly in a clockwise direction to disengage one of its teeth 28 from holding engagement with the top surface of the web 24 of the pivoted yoke, whereupon the tension force of the springs 25-25 will automatically move the pivoted yoke upwardly to a position to Withdraw the pivoted bar 29 out of the shoe. When the pressure of said screw 39 is relieved a leaf spring 50, carried on the yoke I6 and bearing against the forward face of the pivoted bar 29, tends to move the pivoted bar 29 out of engagement with the expanding form 34.

I claim:

1. A device for stretching a shoe lengthwise comprising a base on which the shoe may rest, stop means arranged to engage the edge of the shoe sole at the toe of the shoe to prevent forward movement of the shoe, a frame structure on said base, a member pivoted on said frame structure for arcuate movement lengthwise of the shoe and having an end bearing portion, a form insertible in the shoe for interiorly engaging the forward portion thereof and having a rear abutment portion spaced from the heel counter structure of the shoe when inserted therein, said abutment portion being engageable by the said end bearing portion of said pivoted member, and means for exerting pressure on said pivoted member to urge forwardly said end bearing portion and thereby said form for applying longitudinal stretching force to the shoe without strain on its heel counter structure.

2. A device for stretching a shoe lengthwise comprising a base on which a shoe may rest, an adjustable frame structure on said base comprising lever means pivoted to the base and having adjustable interlocking engagement with each other, stop means to prevent forward movement of the shoe, a form insertible in the shoe and expansible transversely thereof for snugly engaging the forward portion thereof, a rear abutment portion on said form out of contact with the counter of the shoe when disposed therein, a member pivotally depending from one of said lever means and having a downwardly extending lower end engageable with said abutment portion, and means for exerting pressure on said pivotally depending member to urge said lower end thereof and said form forwardly for applying longitudinal stretching force to the shoe.

3. A device for stretching a shoe comprising a base on which a shoe may be located, an elevated frame structure on said base, lever means secured to the base and having adjustable interlocking engagement with each other, stop means engageable by a toe portion of the shoe to prevent forward movement of the shoe, a transversely expansible form insertible in the shoe and snugly engageable with the forward portion thereof, a rear abutment portion on said form out of contact with the counter of the shoe, a member pivotally depending from one lever means and having a downwardly eX- tending lower end engageable with said form abutment portion, means for exerting pressure on said pivoted member for urging said lower end thereof and said form forwardly to apply lengthwise stretching force to the shoe, and

6 means for expanding said form to apply transverse stretching force to the shoe independently of said lengthwise stretching force.

4. A shoe stretcher comprising a form insertible in the shoe to engage the forward portion thereof, a rear abutment portion on said form out of contact with the shoe counter, a base on which the shoe may rest, adjustable stop means for engaging the toe portion of the sole of the shoe to hold the shoe against forward movement, an elevated frame structure on said base comprising a yoke form of lever pivoted to the forward portion of said base and at least one lever pivoted to the rear portion of the base and provided with teeth for adjustably interlocking engagement with portions of said yoke lever, resilient means for biasing said levers toward an interlocked position, a member pivoted on said yoke lever and having a lower end engageable with said form abutment portion, and a screw abutting said pivoted member and projectible thereagainst to apply thrust thereto to urge said lower end and said form forwardly within the shoe and stretch the shoe lengthwise without strain on the heel counter structure of the shoe.

5. A shoe stretcher comprising a transversely expansible form insertible in the shoe for snugly engaging the forward portion thereof, a rear abutment portion on said form out of contact with the heel counter structure of the shoe, a base on which the shoe may rest, an elevated frame structure on said base, a bar pivoted on said frame structure and having a lower bearing portion engageable with said form abutment portion, stop means arranged for engagement with the toe portion of the shoe sole to hold the shoe against forward movement, a screw projectible against said bar to urge said bearing portion and said form forwardly for applying longitudinal stretching force to the shoe.

6. A shoe stretcher comprising a transversely expansible form insertible in the shoe for snugly engaging the forward portion thereof and of less length than the shoe, a rear abutment portion on said form, a base for supporting said shoe, a frame structure adjustable as to its height at a rear portion of said base, adjustable stop means comprising a toe element removably engaged with spaced openings in said baseto hold the shoe against forward movement and locate said rear abutment portion substantially beneath the higher portion of said frame, a bar pivoted on said frame structure and having a lower bearing portion engageable with said form abutment portion, and a screw projectible against said bar to urge its lower end portion and the said form forwardly within the shoe for stretching the shoe lengthwise.

HANS STROM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 563,571 Crocco July '7, 1896 1,829,369 Robison Oct. 27, 1931 2,086,836 Anderson July 13, 1937 

